Before Shepard
by Famotill
Summary: Before he was the Avatar of Victory and the savior of the galaxy, Shepard was just another young man desperate to become a hero. Join the Earthborn Shepard in his fight to rise above the Tenth Street Reds. Fight alongside him as Private Shepard in the Alliance. Help him triumph on Elysium, and relive his journey to save the galaxy. New characters, War Assets, powers, and missions!
1. Blood

**A/N:**_Still pretty new to the series so I am very sorry if I butcher some of the lore,but please feel free to ask any questions about potential plot holes as I have been working to kink them out! Okay so this story revolves around my Shepard. He is an Earthborn, as well as the War Hero. By the time Mass Effect 3 rolls around he is with Kaiden Alenko, but this won't happen until much later in the story (or not at all if I do a sequel kind of thing) so don't be discouraged. He is also a Vanguard, though I'm not sure how much everything will have to do with this story aside from Earthborn. I may or may not have chapters where readers can create their own characters. So anyway please enjoy, and make sure to review so that this story can keep going and grow!Thanks for reading!_

They all stood there like sheep for the slaughter, both ignorant to and blindsided by their situation. They came from different lives, most of them shitty. It was the recruiters' jobs to make sure that these kids could be turned into functioning tools…killing machines. It's no different than half the things the Alliance has pulled with those biotics. Still, here they all were- just pawns in the playbook of fate. Though there was one who was much more to than that. There was one who would defy even fate, but this is before all of that. This isn't the story of the hero, but before him- this is the story before 'Shepard' meant something.

...

"Makers be damned!We've been waiting here for an hour, you haven't said one word to us." A young man with light brown hair rammed his unpleasantly large nose in the face of one of the armed recruiters, his black eyes fixated on the the recruiters helmet.

"Finch, shut up! You're going to get us killed." Another young man, this one blonde, said through gritted teeth. He came up behind Finch and guided him away from the towering man that stood before the recruits.

The recruiter simply looked down at the two. Within his helmet, he sighed- even he was growing restless. He had thought this would have been over by now, and didn't bother recording his favorite television show- _Space Wars_- a show about wrestling biotic bodybuilders. No one wanted any real biotics around, but they sure did like to watch them hit each other. Who could really blame them? After that incident where a biotic student killed his training officer two years ago people were even more against biotics than before.

A few minutes more of forced silence fell before a sky limousine pulled up behind the recruits. It clashed with the abandoned alleys it was surrounded by. Whenever a sky car like that drove by, people in the slums took notice. They were of course the forgotten of New York City. The First Contact War veterans, the vagrants, and the poor called these abandoned streets their homes. These relic-like roads were hidden among the bustling streets of a 2171 New York.

Shepard was no different- these were his people, in a sense. For a time, he served as an informant for the Tenth Street Reds, but only recently did he take up actually joining. He had a few incidents where unexplained energy was triggered through hand movements, not enough for most to notice of course- it certainly wasn't anything powerful. However, Shepard was smart enough to know what this meant…and he knew it would land him a spot in the Tenth Street Reds.

…

The sky limousine halted, and as a chauffeur made his way to the back, he opened the door ushering two men from the vehicle. One was rather large, a bit of a bear in size- very muscular but also very round. Everyone that knew him, and was alive to tell about it, called him 'Boss'. A name that was pragmatic and practical just like he was. It's probable that in another life Boss was a Krogan, with an insufferable thirst for battle and the strength to break any who opposed him. He was different from an ordinary gang leader, ready to charge fearlessly into a fight with his men like some modern day George Washington. The other man however was a pale imitation to Boss, he was North. If Boss were the human version of a Krogan, than North would have been the human Salarian. He was quiet, quick and efficient. Nothing got passed him, alive anyway.

The two walked forward, as the recruits all turned to face them. The two were dressed in tuxedoes, to them this was merely business; they cared little for any of these recruits. Quickly, North pulled at a pistol tucked under his suit. The sharpshooter quickly shot one recruit in the shoulder. Boss immediately followed this with a response, the two in perfect synchronization with one another.

"When we are present, you ingrates will salute! We plucked you off the streets, but we can gladly dump your lifeless little bodies back there should you get out of line. Do I make myself clear?" Boss gave a nonchalant glance to the young woman whimpering on the ground. Blood oozed from her shoulder, but no one dared to help her. Seeing that she was not in any condition to give him an answer, Boss looked over to North. "Finish her…"this phrase was met with an anxiously coy grin from North, who raised his pistol.

Before anyone could make a move Shepard quickly stepped through the crowd- some sort of virtuous paragon coming over him. He bent down, and observed the young girl's wound. He wore a red bandana, his short straight black bangs slightly falling over it. He had a bright face, surprising for someone with his past. The bright blue almost purple eyes that studied the young girl seemed almost out of place in correlation with his mocha colored skin.

Her blood soaked hand reached out at Shepard's defined right cheekbone. He muttered something; his full pink lips didn't give any indication of what he might have said. He looked up at Boss and North with a look of determination. "Crystal, sir…"

North was ready to fire, but Boss called him off. This decision was met with disappointment from North, but he knew better than to protest. He knew that Boss would have normally ordered both of their deaths, something North reveled in. Shepard was different he was Boss' pet project, and that very much pissed North off. Boss had purposely exposed some recruits with previous in utero exposure to Element Zero. Shepard had been the only one to show biotic potential. Shepard was an investment; so for now the Boss would play his games. Still, Boss needed to assert himself as the leader of the Tenth Street Reds. He made his way to Shepard.

"Here, use this, and then get back into your assigned formation…" Boss carelessly threw Shepard a portable case of medi-gell. As Shepard used the omni-tool, the young woman felt strength return to her injury.

"Y-You helped me out…," the young woman managed to utter through hushed groans of pain.

"It wasn't a problem, just try not to make yourself noticeable here, you'll do okay. My name is Shepard…what's yours?" Shepard gave the girl a smile, and then extended his hand helping her up.

"I'm Vega, Vega Nova…" The young girl looked Shepard in the eyes, her large brown pupils studied his face. She wasn't dressed much like any of the other recruits, more importantly she was much cleaner than most of the others here, her long platinum blonde hair seemed almost angelic. She wasn't from the slums, and at least to Shepard- it meant that she didn't belong here.

"Vega…what are you doing here?" Shepard looked at here intently, he wasn't sure where he was going with this, but he knew that he couldn't let this girl stay here- she was too posh to survive in a place like this.

"I-I'm sorry, I don't quite know what you mean…do I know you from somewhere?" Vega looked to Shepard deeply, as if she was trying to remember his face.

"I mean you don't belong in a place like this, you're…" Shepard was going to continue, but was interrupted by Vega Nova.

"Let me guess, too rich? Too pretty?! I'm what exactly?! I can handle myself just fine thank you very much! I know I haven't made much of a case so far, but I don't need you or anyone looking out for me. I know exactly what I'm doing!" Vega said through through her teeth trying not to draw attention back on them, but her words still carried weight. They held anger, though it seemed she was still trying to prove what she said to herself.

"I'm sorry I didn't mean to offend you, just…be careful. Look…I should go, have to get back in my formation." Shepard usually ended awkward situations with an 'I should go'- he spent most of his life living on the streets leading to less than developed positive social interaction. Shepard walked back into the crowd of other young recruits looking out at some of the faces that accompanied his. He smiled for a minute, he wasn't quite sure why, but he felt at piece somehow.

...

"There are many of you here today," North stepped forward speaking to the recruits- his voice has a surprising bark to it tainted with an obnoxious tone as well as an indistinguishable accent. It still demanded attention, as if he was a leader for all of these recruits to follow.

"But, only some of you have the abilities needed as members of the Tenth Street Reds. So, your initiation will see you weeding out the expendables. You'll each be paired off, and then you'll be tasked with eliminating your opponent. I think we all have a grasp on what eliminate means…" North looked into the crowd, waiting for anyone to speak out of line.

"Ties up loose ends and all," One of the recruiters muttered from behind the crowd.

North ignored this comment, though it was one reason for killing off any of the unwanted recruits. Too many of those turned away become informants for the police force, or even worse- the Alliance.

"Groups of six will be assigned a Recruit Leader, one of our lovely lieutenants behind you," North nodded towards the recruiters, with some of the recruits in the crowd looking back to them. This caused a few moments of chatter, before a gun shot rang off in the air.

"Thank you," North remarked sarcastically at their sudden silence. Sometimes it seemed as though North just liked the sound of gunfire- he always laughed to himself as if the sound of bullets ringing in his ears was the funniest joke he had ever heard.

"Then they will drop you off at designated extraction points throughout the slums, you'll have to find your target. You'll all be provided with whatever weapon we feel like giving you, and some light armor because we're feeling generous this year." North followed his father back into the limousine. "Au revoir," he added letting out an almost sadistic chuckle.

"Alright new bloods, listen up." A young woman only a few years younger than North stepped forward from the group of recruit leaders behind the small crowd of recruits. The young woman had shoulder length brown hair, though the way her hair was cut- she almost appeared to have a mullet type hairstyle- three scars creating consecutive dashes revealing her scalp on the left side. She wore a tight "AFR 420 Bio-Suit"- meant for espionage and maximum flexibility, the entire suit was trimmed with a metallic purple, as if someone had grafted a cluster of stars onto its fabric. She cradled a helmet in her right arm, as if she were carrying her newborn child. The helmet had fearsome violet eye compartments, shaped to resemble snake eyes.

"You'll all be divided up among us lieutenants. Just listen for your call, as any stragglers get taken out…" The young woman stood there as many of the recruits looked around muttering among themselves. "Well?! Get the eezo out of your ass, move-move-move!" The woman screamed this as loud as she could, letting loose bullets into the air.

…

Shepard looked around as many of the students were being called off by the recruit leaders. He looked around to see many of the recruits his age or younger. This isn't something he signed up for, he wasn't aware he'd be hunting down innocent people. He saw the expressions of some of the recruits, some were cold and uncaring- those were the ones who have killed before. Others however, were shaking- some crying. They were the ones Shepard feared for, of course Shepard himself never killed anyone, but he knew the look of a lifeless body all too well. He was the middle ground, and he wouldn't allow himself to become some heartless murderer.

One young male specifically caught Shepard's attention. He had dark skin, and what appeared to be white dreads. He was standing in front of the Boss' limousine, having a conversation with them through the window. Shepard saw the young male pull out an omni-tool, entering something into the device...

…"Shepard…" He heard his name called by the woman who had been speaking before. He approached her. He couldn't help but notice the incredible amount of piercings that decorated her face, none that were very much popular today. Her brown eyes rested on Shepard, she had an intense glance as if she was angry with the young man.

"The name's Crux, you're transport vehicle to the drop zone is the Delta Tank, one of the guys will show you once you get there…." Crux looked on at Shepard making sure to stop him before he could go. "You're armor will be fitted with shield generators- Boss' orders, you're one lucky bastard." Crux gave him a pat on the back and nodded him off.

Shepard however felt rather unlucky. Not only would he have to kill someone else, but it wouldn't be an entirely fair fight. The rest of these recruits were practically sitting ducks just waiting to be picked off, while Shepard would be comfortable with regenerating shields and military grade armor. This was never how Shepard planned to don a military uniform.

Shepard made his way to the grimy and dark lit parking lot, where the transport vehicles were parked. An armored guard awaited Shepard in a dingy old toll booth.

"I've been assigned to the Delta Tank," Shepard told the gang member. The guard guided Shepard toward the Delta, but it was actually an armored personnel carrier. How a gang could manage to obtain military grade vehicles astounded Shepard.

"So, you've got Crux...," the guard said laughing to himself. "Good luck with that, just don't let her catch you staring at her tits." he added only being met with a forced smile from Shepard- the guard continued laughing seemingly pleased with his joke. He pressed a few buttons on a door panel, the side door opening like an old 'car trunk' from the 21st century. Shepard made his way inside; every movement he made was illuminated by the ominous red hued lights within the ACP.

After a few minutes, Shepard was joined by the rest of the Delta group. One of these members was the young man he had seen earlier talking to Boss. As the door closed and the vehicle began to move, hushed fears and silent regret loomed overhead of each individual. Crux looked up to the rest of the group, "So, tell me about yourselves…"


	2. Outcasts

Crux looked up to the rest of the group, "So, tell me about yourselves…"

A young man spoke up. Shepard recoginzed him as the the same kid who had scolded Finch earlier, "What's the point?! Half of us aren't going to make it out! Only nine of us will survive, but everyone's just sitting here like it isn't a big deal! I thought I'd be making money from some odd jobs, not being hunted like a deer!" The young man took a low breathe trying to calm himself to no avail, his dull green eyes turned to Shepard, but they quickly shifted towards his hands.

"Even the worst people deserve a final moment of solace even if among strangers, Weisman." Crux looked to the young man. She had read his file, in fact she had read all of the Intel gathered on her recruits that wasn't suspiciously classified, but what she could know- she wanted to hear from them.

"I for one have accepted my role in this. Either I will die today, or another will by my hand. Needless to say it is an unavoidable fact. There is no use in worrying about what cannot be changed." Another young man spoke up with an alarming coolness; he was the man of a darker complexion from before. His hair was was twisted into dreads and was a mix of grey and violet in color, but tied back into a ponytail of dreads that flowed down his back. He was someone who had seen battle before, Shepard looked at him. Those cold white pupils didn't hold the same weight as the others. He wouldn't die that day.

"F-fine…" Weisman sighed, relaxing from his previous frenzy. "I-I'm Curt, Curt Weisman. I'm- I was – an army brat. My parents were both soldiers for the alliance. They wanted me to follow in their footsteps, but I didn't want that."

"So you joined a gang?" Shepard asked with suspicion, his eyes along with everyone else's fixated on Curt. He didn't understand how someone could turn down a life in the Alliance, especially with military parents.

"I thought I could serve as an information broker, I had been an informant for a few months before this. I thought it was an automatic in. I-I've," Curt looked down at his hands; he played with his thumb for a minute. He always thought it odd that his nail had a permanent chip in the left corner. Strange, how he could be thinking of something like that then.

"I've never been very good at much else. I figured finding things out would keep me safe, and protected by the Tenth Street Reds." Curt admitted this more to himself than the others, shame smeared over his face.

"So it was either get shot behind the Alliance's dirty work or join the Tenth Street Reds and get paid to tell them things. The Alliance has a a habit of screwing people over, so I'm not surprised you chose this." A young female spoke up this time. She was a young Asian woman, with short brown hair cut into a half-bob fashion, with one half hanging down unto her shoulder.

"I'm Veena Ito, my father raised me for most all of my life, my mother died giving birth to me…" Veena looked to the front of the vehicle, passed the rather quiet driver, and out onto the windshield. Her face was rather smooth, only a few bumps lined the side of her head. Her eyes were almond shaped, but only slightly and her eyes were a deep brown. She had a small button nose, and a small set of lips matched that feature. She had brown freckles that dotted her face.

"I thought things like that didn't happen anymore, given the technology we have today." Shepard looked now over to Veena.

"They don't, when you're taking the proper precautions." Veena said not taking her eyes from off the window. "My mother refused medical treatment. She wanted to die…" Veena clenched her fist, sighing as she continued her story. "Her and my father had been lieutenants in the Shanxi Occupation."

"Your family was blacklisted," Shepard concluded.

"My mother was distraught. The Ito family name had been besmirched, and she was disowned. My father never gave me the details, all I know is she died at her own doing after I was born."

"So what happened to your father?" Curt looked to Veena, he felt bad about it but these stories served as a distraction from their reality. The truth was though, that these weren't 'stories' or fables. These things were real. Curt only felt guilt for even telling his story.

"He blamed the Alliance for everything, and it didn't take to long for him to snap after that. He kissed me goodbye…and that was it. As for what he actually did, you've seen the vids of the bombings in Chicago. I went into protective custody for a bit after that, and I was raised by Brandy Cline, a patrol officer. She had wanted me to become a beat cop, but when I was released at eighteen, a year ago- I never looked back. Now, instead of fining litterers, I'm killing cops. Like father like daughter I suppose. " Veena let out a sigh before she looked around.

"Well, someone else go!" She hastened, not wanting to end this with her. She hated attention, but she had to tell someone this story just in case she …she didn't even want to think about that.

"What about you?" Shepard asked as he looked over to the dark skinned young man, his eyes narrowed. He clearly did not want to tell his story.

"My name is Phrill and my life is not filled with tragedy like many of yours. Any pain that has come upon me is self-inflicted." Phrill closed his eyes holding his head up, and taking a deep breath. His silver eyebrows furrowed in deep concentration, as if he was pulling this information from an archival lobe somewhere in deep within his brain. He had defined features that only made him look colder. His dark skin, left a black tattoo of a serpent on his neck only somewhat visible.

"No one asks for these things to happen Phrill…" Shepard placed his hand on Phrill's shoulder, though it was gestured away, as Phrill began.

"My mother was a part of a large...business, one of the largest on Earth. She passed away, and I...needless to say...took her place."

"If you're apart of something like that, why join the Tenth Street Reds, and why hasn't anyone heard of you?" Shepard asked suspiciously.

"That stuff's classified Shepard, I think we both know that…" Crux shifted her gaze at Shepard, assuring him that the subject was not a line he wanted to cross.

"I suppose I am next then," Another young woman spoke up, her accent was reminiscent of Welsh English. "My name is Rena Bard, I have come to the Tenth Street Reds to pay off my father's debt. He had taken out a loan from the Tenth Street Reds."

"Why not take out a loan from somewhere legal?" Shepard asked, feeling sorry for Rena.

"Well you're just full of questions, sunshine..." Crux noted smiling to herself before looking over to Shepard. She continued to smile, but it was if she was warning him, making sure he didn't get any bright ideas. She was running this show, at least right now.

"It's fine, never know if I'll be able to tell my story to anyone else, so..." Rena said looking down. She clearly didn't think much on her ability to survive. "My parents had horrible credit. They took out loans in their younger years to fuel a gambling addiction. My father really never shook it and he lost his job at an omni-tool factory a few years ago, when I was in primary school. We moved to America from Wales, but my father's new job wasn't much- and he turned out losing that too." Rena laughed a bit mocking her father's laziness. This caught the others by surprise, even Crux.

"My mother on the other hand had always been a persistent worker. She stayed back in Wales after she and my father divorced."

"She has custody of mah younger siblings. I came to live with mah father, and to attend University, though when mah father lost his job, neither he nor mah mother could afford it. So mah father took out a loan to put me through school, but I couldn't bear to stay knowing what this was doing to him. Unlike most of you, I'm doing this for my parents." Rena took in a deep breathe.

"You'll have to excuse me if I don't share your views on the people who birthed you." Rena truly believed that in was in the pre-written mandate of nature for parents to protect their young, so Rena felt she should return the favor.

"That's very brave of you Rena." Shepard smiled at Rena.

"Bravery is overrated," Crux added in, giving a smile. It was slightly funny in a way that this situation could turn these strangers into a forced 'family' so very quickly, but imminent death has always been a uniting factor.

"What about you?" Shepard asked looking to the only person other than himself who hadn't spoken. The young man had held his head in his hands, only lifting it now to reveal someone much younger than anyone else in the vehicle.

"M-my name is Jesse Smirth…" The young boy said, he couldn't have been any older than thirteen. "I ran away from home a few months ago after I got into fight with my sister. She told me that I was…adopted. I ran away as fast as I could…" The young boy could hardly finish his sentence without shedding tears and letting out a whimper. He blew his nose on his shirt. His skin was pale, and he had eyes the color of a rainy sky. He wasn't very tall, and he had short light brown hair. He had an innocence to him that was hardly typical- it was as if he were a phantom.

Crux looked down, too ashamed to dare look at the boy. She knew exactly what Jesse Smirth was- he was bait for a third asset. Shepard and Phrill were clearly the two biggest contenders for the gang, but there was a third, and Jesse Smirth was their target.

The entire group fell silent, none of them knowing what to say. However, in another moment of heroic paragon Shepard looked up, fiery determination piercing his deep blue eyes.

"We can't possibly let him go out there!" Shepard demanded a response from Crux, but she didn't seem to have the strength to pick her head up.

"I do not think discussing his chances of survival is appropriate, given his presence…" Phrill added, trying to calm Shepard down.

"So we're supposed to sit here, and let him go out there into a warzone?!" Shepard called for an answer from someone, anyone.

"Shepard, that's enough! We've all signed up for this; you aren't running the show- so sit your ass down, before I kill you both!" Crux finally stood taking control over the situation. "You want to protect him out there, that's fine by me- but you aren't going to pull the ethics card here."

Shepard fell silent after this, but Curt looked over to him- unsure of how to ask, "What's your story anyway- you don't seem like the typical gangster."

Shepard looked down for a few minutes, hanging his head in defeat. He began, through gritted death clearly still very angry. "I was born to Hannah and John Shepard, but I don't know much about them. I do know that my mother had been exposed to—"

"That's enough Shepard," Crux remarked, anger still looming in her vocal chords as well. Phrill looked over to Shepard. He had realized that he was not the only asset here.

Silence fell among the group again.

"We're getting close to the drop point now, maybe you should all come up with a strategy. These are the only people that aren't a potential threat to you." Crux looked at the group. "In my cycle, the groups worked as units. I was the only one from my truck that made it…" Crux laughed, but thought on her words for a minute, receiving glances of desperation from her recruits. "Not that that's a common thing." Crux feigned a large sigh, patting her stomach. "I was just kind of a badass."

"I say we work together, all of us. Shepard and Phrill seem like they know what they're doing! If we stick together we can win this! All of us can survive." Curt yelped in desperate excitement.

"It may also create more enemies than at cooperation, we'd simply be making ourselves larger targets with an additional ten people we would normally not need worry about, aside from our respective targets and pursuers." Phrill noted, he didn't like the idea of working with any of these people.

"If we split up into smaller units, then we'll have a better chance." Shepard added, if they worked in smaller groups, then he could provide protection over two of them. If he was right about Phrill, then he could protect the others.

"That's fine by me, so long as I'm working with Phrill!" Rena was quick to claim Phrill as her partner, as she could see that he was clearly the most tailored to this sort of thing.

"Unfortunately, I work alone…" Phrill commented, brushing off the idea of cooperation. Rena sank at the sound of this.

"Then I'll go with Shepard!" Rena made sure to claim her second potential savior Shepard. She had taken notice of the girl he helped back at the base.

"That's fine, but I'll also be taking Jesse with us." Shepard said, giving the boy a smile. He would do everything in his power to make sure that he came out of this alive. "Phrill, it would really help if you could go with Curt and Veena." Shepard could feel the skill and confidence oozing from Phrill, he was sure anyone that stayed with him would make it out of this okay.

"I am sorry, but they would only be liabilities." Phrill closed his eyes once again, though he could feel Shepard's glare piercing through him. Curt whimpered slightly within himself, placing the remaining gear that had been provided for him on. The rest followed suit.

"I've got limited fire-arm training." Veena assured Curt her voice now masked by a helmet. This seemed to relieve him, even if just slightly.

The van suddenly stopped, and with it the entire world. Each of them felt a large lump in their throat, as if their lungs were trying to claw their way out of this mess. Their hearts ready to burst out of their chests. They swallowed down that hard lump of reality, knowing that this was it. This could be their final resting all fiddled with their weapons, trying their hardest to load them, Crux advising them on how exactly to do it. She guided them out of the vehicle, as they readied their weapons.

"The other teams should be arriving soon, good hunting." Crux said, making sure to shut the door behind the last recruit.

The sky was painted a thick red among the musk of the evening air. It was as though this was the ominous forecast for the events that were to transpire. Their battleground was abandoned tenements from the 21st century, bricks and metal that have mostly fallen apart or been worn in some fashion. The sunlight bounced off of every inch of every building painting them all a deep orange color.

With that, the sound of a bullet ripped through the air, nipping at Shepard's ear.


	3. Assets

With that, the sound of a bullet ripped through the air, nipping at Shepard's ear. The gunshot struck quickly, however Phrill reacted just as quickly pulling Veena from the line of fire. The round came rushing forward with determination, but failed to hit any person just slightly missing Veena Ito's right temple. The bullet smashed violently against the wall of the APC, hissing like the warning of a threatened cobra. They all quickly learned what was at stake.

...

"Sounds like the other teams have been fortified already…" Crux said from inside the safety of the APC. She quickly used her omni-tool to radio the other recruit leaders.

"Hey, assholes! We we're all supposed to arrive at the same time. Your squad was set up before mine even got out the door!" Crux complained, harping on the other recruit leaders, unsure of which one of them had got there first.

Her complaints were met by a deep, booming, chuckle.

"I should have known it was you Taurus! Fuck off!" Crux was only half-joking. She was the leader with two assets on her team. If she let them both die…she didn't even want to think of the consequences.

"Sorry Crux, early bird gets the worm!" Taurus let out another chuckle with his taunting remark before disconnecting with Crux. All she could do was sit and wait.

...

"You…saved me…" Veena looked over to Phrill, she was now hunched over as if she was about to vomit. The truth was that she was scared out of her mind. If someone had tried to shoot them already it meant that someone had found their target, and that they were all sitting ducks.

Phrill began to load his pistol with a thermal clip, "I will not again," after saying that Phrill was off, just as fast as the bullet had charged at them. He headed off to the left without much warning. Each footstep had purpose and his limbs oozed with the kind of sadistic that could only come from someone who had done this before.

"Go! Go! Go," Shepard yelled as he Rena and Jesse took to the north making sure to avoid any gunshots by taking cover behind some layered brick walls. As they looked behind them the distorted images of Curt and Veeta running towards the path to the right faded. They were out of sight eventually. Shepard and his group found themselves using an old abandoned home as shelter. The walls had almost all crumbled to rubble. Oddly there were still a few intact appliances including a 21st century oven. Rena, Jesse and Shepard took cover behind one of the walls.

"What do we do?!" Rena asked with an unsure desperation laced throughout her words. She was no expert in combat, and she knew very little about guns very much less about how to keep from getting killed by one. A sickening knot wrenched within her gut as if her intestines were being pressed together. The acid in the pit of her stomach began to rise from a combination of nausea and nervousness.

"We just need to stay in cover. If our enemies are looking for us then we let them come for us. We can stop them one by one." Shepard looked to Rena sensing her uneasiness. He felt the same way, and he imagined that everyone else did perhaps aside from Phrill.

"I…noticed you didn't say kill…do you have a plan?" Rena looked to Shepard with a hopeful smile, though it seemed a bit forced. None of them wanted to kill, but it wasn't very much an option, or that's at least what everyone aside from Shepard thought.

"No…" Shepard looked down, still trying to formulate some form of attack that would keep from harming anyone. "But I do believe that there is always a third option." He said this with a more sincere smile than Rena could muster.

"I trust you…" Jesse mumbled this quietly and with very little enthusiasm, though just enough for Shepard and Rena to smile at each other and then back to him.

It was strange how children could bring about some semblance of hope in even the bleakest of situations. Jesse was only a few years younger than these two, but he represented what Shepard had always wanted to fight for. This was just another test for Shepard, and he wouldn't see anyone die, especially not this boy.

"If we could find some way to immobilize them, then perhaps we could avoid conflict. I do have minimal omni-tool training, enough where I could perhaps create some kind of trap." Rena looked down rubbing her shoulder.

"How would you be able to do that?" Shepard asked her sincerely, he had very little information on the functionalities of omni-tools.

"There are a variety of ways…hopefully. I could try and hack their weaponry, or perhaps create a booby trap. The only problem is what to do with them once they are immobilized or defeated." Rena spoke with more confidence now; she never imagined she'd be putting what she learned at university to work in the Tenth Street Reds.

"I can take care of that, but there is still the issue of drawing out our pursuers' attention." Shepard thought for a moment. "I can at least draw out mine first." Shepard said this remembering the shield generators that were placed in his armor. "I can run out into the open. If I'm right then the other teams got here first and established their posts. Chances are they are working together like Crux predicted."

"Don't tell me you're just going to waltz out into enemy fire. That's bloody insane!" Rena looked to Shepard, not really sure what he was thinking.

Shepard paused for a moment, realizing it was time to come clean to at least these two. "I…_they_…gave me shield generators." Shepard looked down ashamed, and unable to look Rena in the eye. If he had he would see the look of anger on her face. She stood from her crouching position.

"Excuse me?! Th-they gave you shield generators?" Rena almost laughed at the thought of this, but this was no joke. She wanted to reach out and strangle him. It was no wonder he was so much more confident than the rest of them. "So while we all have to twti down and hope not to get shot, your completely comfortable with your regenerating shields!" Rena was furious, no longer aware of her surroundings.

"I didn't have a choice! They installed them into my armor…" Shepard reached out to Rena trying to explain, but his hand was knocked away as she interrupted him.

"For what?! Why are you so damn special?!" Rena looked at him asking this question quickly and with less confidence than before, not entirely sure if she wanted to hear the answer.

"Look just get back down into cover, and I can explain…" Rena followed Shepard's request, but made sure to plop down as defiantly as she possibly could.

"…Back on the ride over here…I was going to tell you my story. My mother was exposed to eezo when I was in utero. They died when I was a young. I was brought in by the Tenth Street Reds…at first as an informant and a pickpocket. After that whole fiasco with the biotic student killing his teacher, the Reds got interested. Every young informant and contact they had, they ran tests on hoping to find biotic potential through re-exposure. I was the only one to show any potential…"

"So they recruited you, and made sure you wouldn't get killed. Why not just bring you in, why go through all of this?" Rena asked, unsure of really what else to say.

"I'm not sure, to prove my worth, some sort of symbolic ritual, I don't know. What I do know, is that without these shields none of us are making it out of here. That's why I took to making small teams so that I could keep at least a few people protected."

"By serving as a barrier, you wouldn't be able to protect everyone, trying to would only get all of us killed." Rena came to this conclusion without Shepard's help.

"Yes, and I had hoped that Phrill would take to helping out the other two…"

…

"Veena c'mon we have to go…now!" Curt pulled a weeping Veena off of a dead body.

"We killed him dammit!" Veena screamed, coming to the harsh reality of what the two of them had done.

"I know what we did, we didn't have a choice!" Curt said this to Veena, but most likely to himself as well. On the inside he felt himself caving. He was being tortured by the image of putting a gun to someone's stomach, and pulling the trigger.

Veena was whimpering but knew she couldn't become docile. It would only get them killed. She managed to pull herself up as if some sort of husk in her daunting movement towards Curt. She wasn't controlling herself anymore; she was a puppet to instinct, and to a necessity to survive.

"Alright, see we're fine…" Curt took a gasp of air, winded form the reality of their situation. "Everything's fine… now check for your target on the omni-tool. If we can get rid of them, then we only have to make sure our targets don't get to us." Veena followed Curt's orders though she moved like a zombie, she was in her own world- haunted by the atrocity she had committed.

What bothered her most was just how horribly easy it was, to shoot someone dead like they did. The young man begged for his life, and they just kept firing round after round into him. She had never seen so many puncture wounds, but the blood was by far the worst. She fell to the ground shortly after their victim did and tried to put pressure on his wounds, but there were too many. She had to realize that she could never take back what she had done now.

While Veena came to her realization, the sound of a bullet pounded against Curt's eardrum. It was if time had slowed down before his eyes. Veena fell to the ground, gripping at her stomach as blood came rushing out. Her screams sounded like methodical and rhythmic moans of agony. However, in an instant Curt was snapped back into the pace of reality, the rapidity of their situation.

"Shit!" He yelled, quickly huddling over Veena's near lifeless body. He held out his omni-tool. "Hold on…hold on! You can't die on me…not now!" Curt frantically tried to swipe the omni-tool over Veena's injury, but to no avail. "Dammit, why isn't there any medi-gel. We haven't used any!"

"It's because you're expendables…" A voice loomed over Curt and Veena, coming from a heightened position of rubble nearby. The source was none other than Phrill.

"Damn you, bastard! You left us here to fight for ourselves, and then you shoot her!" Curt was trying his hardest now to apply pressure, but blood kept filling up in his hands. He was crying at this point, his tears falling into Veena's open wound. Veena Ito could only let out small whimpers.

Phrill casually walked to their position; he held out his omni-tool. "I on the other hand…have been chosen to be here. " He knelt down ignoring Curt's accusations as he hovered the omni-tool over the wound. Slowly it began to close, the blood no longer rushing out.

"What?…They set us up…, to be killed by you?!" Curt begged this with incredible anguish, hatred looming in his voice, fearing what Phrill's next move was he quickly swiped the pistol from Veena's person. He stood now pointing the gun at Phrill's head.

"If I wanted to kill you, you'd have been dead. My target has already been…eliminated, that's likewise for the one who shot her. Needless to say…I have no reason to kill you." Phrill turned his head only slightly when he spoke, as if he hardly perceived Curt as a threat at all. "Along with the medi-gel, I have been provided substantial shielding properties, outfitted in my armor."

Curt put the pistol down, realizing there wasn't much he could do with it against Phrill. "Why are they doing this to us? Why put a killing machine into a fight and give him shields to boot? Why not just kill us all themselves, are we that useless?"

"I am here for more than just initiation. I have been tasked with determining each recruits possible value to the Tenth Street Reds…" Phrill was still attending to Veena's wound.

"It seems that you both managed to kill your target. I deem you as worthy, there will be extraction soon. Anyone that survives and can make it to one of the extraction zones will be spared and initiated." Phrill stood now, slowly helping Veena Ito to her feet. "I have taken the liberty of uploading the nearest extraction zone to your omni-tool."

"So that's it? What about the person trying to kill me?! What about you?!" Curt questioned, wanting more answers than he received.

Phrill simply sighed, as if this whole situation was merely an annoyance. "She has been deemed as unworthy. She has been taken care of. I on the other hand, have more to do. I am giving you a chance here…do not make me question your usefulness." With that Phrill quickly jumped up and out of sight.

Curt held Veena over his shoulder. "C'mon, let's get you out of here." They limped slowly off towards the extraction post.

…

Shepard had shot off his pistol into the air, but still no one returned fire. He worried that perhaps his pursuer had already been killed. Suddenly a voice came from Shepard's omni-tool. An automated female voice delivered the message, "Extraction will begin shortly, any and all survivors are encouraged to leave for the extraction zone now. Those still alive that do not make it to the transport site will be abandoned." Shepard, squinted with suspicion and confusion. Not even he was made aware of any extraction.

'Shepard!" Rena yelled out from a distance away to their safe spot under cover within a deteriorated home with crumbling brick foundations. Rena and Jesse were crouched over behind a destroyed wall, the corner being the only place left to provide shelter from gunfire.

Shepard quickly made his way to them, hearing a desperation in Rena's voice. However before he could reach them he was halted by a misfired gunshot that nearly hit him.

The source of the bullet was a young woman clad in armor. She had a sniper rifle in her hands, trying her best to aim with shoddy hand movement. Her hand had blood gushing from it. The woman's eyes pierced through the helmet watching her prey, before realizing just who she was dealing with.

"Shepard? Dammit!" She yelled. She didn't want to have to fight him, she was sure he could be a strong opponent. As well she realized he wouldn't just hand over her target. She saw a hero when she looked at him, unfortunately she was not him. None of them were.

"The kid's my target Shepard…I have to get rid of him. Just stay out of the way, we aren't meant to die here…we're assets."


	4. Blackness

**A/N:** _Not entirely sure of the story's strength so far so some reviews and maybe even suggestions would be very helpful, but I definitely like what I have planned for each character. I'm very much excited to write after this chapter just because this first couple are more of the basic chapters where it's hard to tell what's going on, so the chapters after this will be a chance to delve into details about not just the characters I created, but one's already in the universe. With that said, any stories that are happening at the time of these events with another ME character will be labeled **CHARACTER NAME: CHAPTER**_** TITLE.**

"Shepard? Dammit!" She yelled. "The kid's my target Shepard…I have to get rid of him. Just stay out of the way, we aren't meant to die here…we're assets." The voice was more familiar than Shepard wanted to admit.

"Nova, what are you doing? Why are you playing their game? They tried to kill you. Can't you see that this is wrong?!" Shepard said through gritted teeth more angry at the situation than at Vega Nova.

"It's kill or be killed Shepard, we all know the stakes. I'm…_we're_ too important to die here," Vega Nova spoke as if she had been running, which most probably meant that she had lost or killed her pursuer.

Rena looked to Shepard, not very much sure what to say, a part of her hated the girl behind the sniper, but another piece of her felt sorry. This initiation had broken something in all of them…perhaps even Shepard. She wasn't sure what he would do, what he could do.

"You must have received the message too, extraction teams are coming! You don't have to do this!" Shepard was running out of options, but he wanted to avoid a fight at all costs it was the best way to keep them safe.

"He's coming Shepard! He's evaluating us! We can't…we have to prove ourselves or we'll fall like the rest of them…" It was as though every breath she drew clung for air, for life. There was desperation in her voice; her words were frantic, scattered. It was as if she'd been driven mad from the things she'd seen today.

"Sometimes surviving is enough!" Shepard yelled to her, trying to snap her out of whatever trance she was under. "No one is coming Nova, just…put down the gun." Shepard poked his head out, but Vega Nova quickly held the sniper back up trying her best to take aim through shaking hands and nervous twitches. She had their position in her sight hoping to find a crack in their defense. Perhaps through the need to survive she would hit the target, but she was pulling at straws at this point.

Vega Nova's hand was soaked with blood and her entire body felt numb. Not merely just with feeling, emotionally she felt nothing. She felt no remorse for this situation. This frightened her more than anything else. As she readied her shot, hoping to stir movement a knife ripped through her shields, landing in her mid-back. The small dagger was wedged into her spine, and she collapsed to the floor.

Followed by her fall, came Phrill. With sword in hand Phrill made his way over to a whimpering Vega Nova. He removed his helmet revealing one cold eye concealed by a visor, while the other mocked his victim with a snide look. She reached out past her sniper, looking with tired eyes to Shepard.

"You are expendable…" Phrill said as he raised the sword on his person.

"Phrill! No!" Shepard came out of cover running quickly to try and stop Phrill's attack. However, his movement was in vein. The sword entered the back side of her neck, penetrating the carotid artery and resting in the weakened pavement. The sword twisted with a sickening squish, as blood squirted from a now lifeless young woman.

Shepard could only watch, a pain stirring in his chest and the pit of his stomach. He wanted to vomit, but held it back. He was stuck, staring at the girl, the girl that- just a few hours ago – had been very much alive.

"What the hell was that?! How could you… you killed her in cold blood! You're a heartless bastard." Shepard took out a pistol aiming it at Phrill. "Was she your target, or was that just for fun you sick asshole?!" Shepard's eyes grew angrier, the tint that had once held so much hope now held only hatred.

"You are all my targets…" Phrill looked callously to the lifeless body retrieving first his dagger, and then the sword. "I have come to assess your usefulness Shepard." With this Phrill took a fighting position, expecting Shepard to be more skilled than the others.

"Rena, I need you and Jesse to get out of here. Find the extraction zone, and I'll meet you there." Shepard looked back behind him to his former cover position. Rena and Jesse were quickly learning to listen to whatever Shepard said, making a run out of cover still ducking down. When he could see that they were out of harm's way he turned his attention back to Phrill.

"I'm interested to see how you'll best me with just shields and a pistol. It seems only one of us was truly ever an asset." Phrill said this mockingly as he paced methodically closer to Shepard, as if every step was taunting the younger man- calling him into direct confrontation.

Shepard quickly fired the pistol, but it did minimal damage to Phrill's shields. He'd have to be smart about this fight. Phrill was slightly tired, he was using this slow method of intimidation as a means to hide it, but Shepard could see through this. However, Phrill had a full arsenal including a shield penetrating dagger. If Shepard wanted to survive he would have to get that dagger.

Quickly Shepard charged forward at Phrill, who quickly swung his sword in an attempt to deter his adversary. Shepard dodged this whipping past Phrill. He quickly made his way to the corpse that was once Vega Nova, he rolled into cover, making sure to pick up her sniper rifle in the process.

Quickly, Phrill's one eyed visor began scanning for Shepard's heat signature hoping to use this later in their battle if necessary. Something however interfered with the signatures' readings, showing a scattered result. Phrill would have to rely on his senses.

Next Shepard would have to work on disarming Phrill, if he could get that dagger than it would be all but over.

…

"We have to go back for Shepard!" Jesse cried out to Rena. "I heard a gunshot!" Jesse whimpered worried of what had become of Shepard. Even at his young age he understood that Phrill was different than the rest of them, and that he would kill Shepard without their help.

"Dammit!" Rena said, knowing that she couldn't live with herself if Shepard died here. However she didn't want to bring Jesse back with her.

"Rena? Jesse?" a familiar voice called out, as Curt and a limping Veena approached from their right.

"Thank goodness…you two survived!" Rena smiled at them, though her smile quickly faded away. "Shepard needs mah help, I need you and Veena to take Jesse and get to extraction!" Rena looked at Jesse rubbing his hair, messing it up even more than it already was.

Their eyes met for a moment, but Rena quickly turned away.

"We heard the gunshot, Shepard's already dead…we have to get out of here. Phrill has been the one killing the others. He's evaluating us…." Curt looked down, feeling guilty in some way for letting Phrill go after Shepard.

"We know what he's doing, but I can't let Shepard die, not after all he's done for Jesse and I today!" Rena once again looked down to Jesse, and then to Veena and Curt. "Please, just go!"

Curt saw no other option. Veena was injured, and Jesse could hardly defend himself. He also was the only person with the location of the extraction zone aside from Phrill. "Alright, just be careful. Phrill's dangerous…" Curt warned before motioning Jesse to follow them. The younger boy did so reluctantly looking back to Rena as he, Veena and Curt walked slowly forward nearing the extraction point.

…

Phrill and Shepard continued their battle, now in a direct confrontation. All of Shepard's punches were being dodged or blocked, but the same could be said for Phrill's attacks. Phrill punched at Shepard, but this time Shepard caught the fist flinging the assassin forward. Phrill caught himself, his boots sliding across the dirt ridden pavement. Shepard ran forward and swung at Phrill his punch connecting.

Phrill was knocked back a small distance, wiping the blood from his nose. Quickly he ran towards Shepard, his strikes now becoming less merciful. Shepard could not keep this up for much longer. Phrill realizing this quickly swung his dagger at Shepard, though only grazing him- it was enough to disrupt his shields. Phrill quickly followed this with a swift kick to the side of Shepard's face, knocking him to the ground.

Shepard coughed for a minute trying to gain his breath. He spit out a small amount of blood, wiping the remnants from his lips. Phrill walked threateningly forward, and kicked Shepard in the chest, knocking him back a bit more as he rolled a few feet away.

Shepard coughed some more, though managed to pick bring himself up on his hands and knees. He crawled, trying desperately to pick himself back up. However, Phrill was much too quick, he pulled out his sword once again, now hoping to finish Shepard off. Phrill buried his sword down, ready to gut his fallen prey.

Shepard managed to roll out of the way of the attack before he could be stabbed. Frantically, he tried to shoot his pistol, but the shot was misplaced, and merely skimmed Phrill's shields. Shepard crawled backwards, still on his back as Phrill approached.

The killer crept forward menacingly like a lion ready to strike. Quickly, Shepard sat up, taking the sniper rifle and leaning up in his left arm. He held the sniper, zooming out as far as possible to get a clear shot of Phrill's hand. "I hope this works…" he muttered to himself, thinking out loud. Shepard pulled the trigger as a thunderous echo of gunfire crowded the air. The sheer strength of the shot from such a close range was enough to break through Phrill's shields knocking the dagger from Phrill's grip. It fell to the floor as Shepard scrambled for it.

As Shepard grabbed for the dagger a foot stepped on his hand, a sickening crunching sound following. Shepard yelped in pain, as the boot dug deeper into his arm with every agonizing twist that Phrill forced.

"I made the mistake of underestimating you. Needless to say…" Before Phrill could finish his sentiment, Shepard interrupted.

"Go to hell..." Shepard said this through gritted teeth. How could Phrill be so calm, so collected? After all of this death and destruction, how could he not be worn down like the rest were. Is this what it meant to become a soldier, Shepard was afraid of the answer, but it stung at the back of his mind in what appeared to be his final moments.

"You...are...weak." Phrill taunted, though he let no emotion slip from his words or from his expressions. He was cold, a trait that Shepard lacked, and as far as either one of them could see- it made Phrill better.

A bullet from a pistol smacked the would be killer in the shoulder, as he fell backwards. The source of the bullet was none other than Rena.

"Shepard!" Rena quickly made her way over to Shepard, trying her best to help him to his feet.

"Ya know," Shepard coughed, now cradling his arm. "Things would have been a lot easier if you had told me you could do that before." He said dusting himself arm with his good arm, and laughing slightly.

"You didn't say kill…" Rena gave Shepard a reassuring smile; it felt nice to be the one saving him, even if she had only managed to actually shoot her target out of sheer luck.

Shepard returned the smile noticing Rena's demeanor, but this faded when he looked to see a dagger flying towards them. With incredible ferocity, the projectile struck Rena in the leg. She cried out as blood slowly oozed from the small wound, and she felt to the ground.

"Damn, Rena are you alright?" Shepard asked, quickly trying to help her to her feet. However, she pushed his hands away, her face twisted in horror.

"Shepard, watch out!" She tried to warn Shepard, but it was in vain.

With a fire and anger in his eyes Phrill charged forth from the smoke that arose from his crash into the debris. The speed and intensity was enough to make Shepard quiver and lose his footing. Phrill quickly struck, his sword piercing through Shepard's shields. The sword found it's resting place, through Shepard's stomach.

All Rena could do was look on, crying in despair as she saw Shepard impaled. Blood shot out from a desperate gasp for air from Shepard. The blood splattered on to Phrill's face, but it was met with no emotion. Phrill simply whispered into Shepard's ear easing him to the ground,

"It's over…"

"No…Shepard….Shepard…!" Rena cried out, as the world began to corrode away, soon all Shepard saw was blackness.


	5. Kaidan Alenko: Burned

"_I've told you time and time again; haven't your learned anything?!" Vrynnus stood over her; he was brooding- cold and unforgiving. She just sat there shaking with fear. _

"_I…I just wanted a drink without getting a nos…." The bastard wouldn't even let her finish._

"_Enough! It's excuse after excuse with you. You're the weakest here, do you know that?! You would be the first to die on the front lines!" He lunged at her, grabbing her arms. I took special notice then, waiting for him to make one more wrong move. "Maybe I should just do you a favor now!" he twisted and pulled on her arm, until a crack shot out. Her bone was shattered. _

"_What the hell are you doing?!" I stood with intent, but I didn't know what I was going to do. I didn't think about it. I just…couldn't watch that anymore. Maybe the other kids could…but not me…_

"_I'm teaching her a lesson, and it seems you're about due for one too!" The turian made his way to me now. This was routine, he'd always turn to beating on his students, stumbling around and babbling like the sad drunk he was. None of us would strike a superior officer. This time was different though, he had hatred in his eyes. He was going to kill me. _

_That's when he pulled it out, the knife. "Do you think you're superior to me?! Is that what you think?" He quickly stabbed forward trying to cut into my chest, but I swayed to the side, grabbing his arm and crushing in his elbow. He dropped the knife, and fell to the ground. _

_There was something about the way he sat there, holding his arm- like he was the victim. I didn't stop. _

_My rage and my biotics were intertwined, something we were taught to control. It wasn't something I wanted to remember now. I kicked his skull, twisting his head. I broke his neck…I killed him…_

"_What have you done?!" She cried to me…_

_What had I done…_

_..._

"Dude, get up!" My roommate called to me. We were in our little apartment, what we called the "Pad". It was hardly hospitable, dank, dark, and it smelled like Krogan ass- but we managed.

"I'm not sleeping," I moaned, still spread out, naked under the covers of my cot.

"Shit Kaidan, it's one in the afternoon. Your half of the rent isn't paying itself. Get your lazy ass up, and make me some god-damn eggs. Put that Jump Zero training to good use." My roommate was Raul, a kid the same age as me. He was from Mexico.

Raul had a nice build; he had shaggy brown hair and dark olive skin. He had left home pretty young, came to Canada looking to expand his market in selling top-grade hallucinogenic drugs. His best product was a new drug called red sand, it got buyers hooked fast. He even threw some minagen my way… it helped take the edge off.

Anyway after the…incident two years back, I met Raul and he offered to provide me with a place to stay so long as I manage his day to day operations. He didn't mention the eggs…

"Alright then get out; I'm still naked under here…" I groaned just wanting a few more minutes to stuff my face in the pillow.

"Nothing I haven't seen before Alenko…" he chuckled to himself just standing there. I could feel him eyeballing me but I didn't move. "Alright fine, just hurry up arrimado." He finally left the room. I let out a few groans in protest, but he probably didn't hear them.

I rolled out of bed sliding on some briefs and a grey t-shirt. I spit into the cup that stood on my night table beside my cot. I dragged my feet as slowly as I could; it was still too way too early to be awake. As I scrapped at my eyes, trying to alleviate the blur, the apartment came into view. It was so small, with only a living room and a kitchen. It was always so dark and so cold in that apartment. The only light came from the kitchen, but even that wasn't much as the kitchen was raised on a platform.

I made my way up the three steel black steps that led into the open area kitchen. I always loved the way my bare feet slid across the sleek cold steel, which was enough to wake me up. I could see that the kitchen was a mess, pots and food everywhere…Raul must have tried to cook again last night. I picked up my watch that had been 'conveniently' placed on the kitchen floor.

I made my way over taking out the one clean pan that appeared to be left. I placed in on the stove, before I went over to the fridge. I carried all of the ingredients in my arms at once, quickly shoving them all onto the counter. I began adding the stuff to the bowl I noticed Raul look over at me.

"You definitely just scratched your balls bro," Raul laughed to himself, though I didn't find whatever joke he was making very funny. "I'm not eating that shit," he continued with his coy remarks. "Alright, I probably will but if it was anybody else…" He stood up, coming behind me letting one of his fingers lazily trail my lower back. I cringed at this.

"Raul, I told you to quit touching me like that…" I muttered, hoping that the Jump Zero stories had finally sunken into his thick skull. Of course I'd never hurt him, I'd have no place to live.

"Adio?! I'm just fucking around Kaidan!" He whined in protest before standing directly behind me. I just squinted, trying to concentrate on the eggs that had at that point been on the stove. "Why you always gotta be a aguado, huh?" His breathe tingled my neck, wrapping around the hairs that were now on end.

I quickly whipped around with pan in hand forcing him to shoot back to avoid being burned. "You're eggs are done…" I smiled coyly at him, as he went to grab the spatula matching my glare with his own honey colored eyes. He plopped the scrambled eggs onto his plate carefully, making sure to grab a few spices that were on the counter. He lazily dropped down into the stool putting his plate on the counter. He was like a madman , you'd think he hadn't eaten in weeks.

"Why are you always eating eggs?" I asked, never really thinking about it before. I went to sit down at the stool across from him.

"Gotta stay in shape, can't get chichis," He chuckled grabbing at his chest and pushing up to emulate breasts. Raul was never serious, and I couldn't help but laugh at him though I looked down before he could notice.

"You've got three drop-offs today," I looked back at him ready to talk business. I tinkered with my watch for a few seconds, activating my omni-tool from it. The display was smaller than normal considering the device, but it still managed to show the three designated drop-off areas. "They're all up in the North End, shouldn't be too much trouble." I added before he finally looked up at me.

"Good, but I need you to drive today. I've got some minagen 'case you get one of your migraines." He said this as he held up a small round orange container. He threw it over to me.

"So we should get done early then?" I asked apparently too enthusiastically.

"Got a date or somethin'?" He asked suspiciously eyeballing me. "I hope not, I've got something big planned for tonight."

"No…I just…what do you have planned?" I asked looking over to him. I usually came to hate Raul's plans.

…

"Please tell me he took the bait…" I looked down to my partner, clad in the typical beat cop armor. He was adjusting some features on his omni-tool.

"Janise, relax he got the message. It was simple; I just did a little advanced email spoofing. He isn't a hacker, there's no way he saw past it. Even if he did, he knows there is a major shipment here; he won't be able to resist trying to get his greasy little paws on it." My partner looked over to me. Conner Vaughn wasn't much for confrontation, but he was an excellent technician. The police force was lucky to have got to him before the Alliance. Since humans entered the galactic picture, they've abandoned the problems back here. That's what people like Vaughn and I are here for, to remind everyone that the problems down here still matter.

"Officer Macen, your back-up will be arriving shortly, I don't think you need reminding that we cannot afford to let him get away this time." That was Chief of Police Nathaniel Tanner that radioed in on my omni-tool. He wasn't very happy with me. This wasn't the first time that we had Raul cornered, but he'd always managed to escape.

His past slips up made him more cautious, and he began using someone with tech specialty to handle all of his deals and information. This was our last chance to catch him before he slipped off grid.

"Yes sir, of course sir." I said before he disconnected. Officer Vaughn looked up to me before standing himself. He was actually quite shorter than I was standing in at only 5'5''.

"Hey, don't worry about it Janise. There's no way he'll get away this time. We'll catch him." He put his arm on my shoulder, which made me smile. He was an excellent partner, and a great friend. It seemed like most of the time he was the only person on the force that appreciated me. Though I couldn't really blame them, I was the token 'screw-up', after all.

"We better, or it's going to be our asses." I said looking forward not necessarily staring at anything. I couldn't ruin this, I just couldn't….

…

"Are you out of your mind?!" I nearly pulled the skycar to a stop at that point, looking at Raul who just laughed at my surprise.

"The shipment is huge Kaidan, we could retire, live like kings somewhere offworld." Raul looked to me, he was ambitious- I could give him that, but he was also too much of an idealist.

"You promised no cops Raul, I can't help you. Let's just do the drop-offs and…." I tried to reason with him, but there was never any reasoning with Raul.

"And what?! Have to sell this shit for the rest of my life?! I'm done with this planet. When you gonna learn that the Alliance abandoned you, there's nothing left for you here." Raul looked over to me with fire in his eyes, I'd never seen him so passionate about something. Truth was, he wasn't wrong. I had felt like the Alliance just hung me out to dry after Jump Zero, and aside from my parents what really was left for me there?

I looked down, contemplating all of this, trying to soak it all in. "Fine, but I don't want any people getting hurt…" Raul smiled at me and gave me a reassuring nod, a gesture I couldn't return.

**A/N:**_ This will be a two-part kind of thing, and normally they will be uploaded together, but I had to change some things around for the second part so sorry about that. :) Thanks for reading!_


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